


World Shaking

by makoga



Category: Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Gen, Magical Girls, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2017-12-27 21:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/983640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makoga/pseuds/makoga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sailor Senshi face a new and deadly foe, and the key to defeating it may lie in a history that has been long since buried. But can they trust those who once betrayed them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> I loaded the first chapter of this fic to ff.net 5 years ago, but it is still (really!) a WIP. Moving it to AO3 has motivated me to do a rewrite of the earlier chapters, and to continue working on the later ones. So... watch this space, there's more to come.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranma arrives back in Nerima. Things aren't exactly the same as when he left.

Kasumi hummed softly as she swept out the kitchen. Saturdays mornings were quiet in the Tendo house. Nabiki slept in, usually surfacing around lunchtime, while their father took morning classes in the dojo. Kasumi took this time to do the cleaning she was unable to do during the week; in the afternoons, she would go see Dr Tofu. He worked so hard he often forgot to take a lunch break, so Kasumi would take him something, as a thank you for the books he regularly leant her. Kasumi had no real interest in the study of medicine, it struck her that learning basic healing techniques could only be helpful for when she had children, not least when martial arts ran so strongly in her family. And Dr Tofu always seemed so pleased to see her…

Sweeping done, Kasumi went to check the mail. There were the usual bills and various parcels addressed to Nabiki and, at the bottom of the pile, a letter postmarked China. Kasmi's face lit up. She hadn't heard from her youngest sister for well over three months, and while she knew Auntie would take good care of her, it wasn't the same as having Akane under her own watchful eye. She returned to the house and carefully sorted out the rest of the mail before allowing herself to open the letter.

It had been written a month ago, although previous letters from Akane had taken even longer to arrive. Akane wrote that her training in China was finished, and that she, Ranma, Auntie and a new friend of theirs were heading back to Japan. Akane was sketchy on the details, but it seemed that Ranma had had some kind of accident – not life-threatening, surely, if they were returning home? Finally, Akane said that they expected to arrive – Kasumi's eyes went to the calendar on the wall, then back to the letter in her hand. But that was today!

Kasumi hurriedly collected her things and headed outside. If she hurried, there'd be time to get to the market, see Dr Tofu and get home in time to cook one or two of her baby sister's favorite dishes before she arrived back home.

 

* * *

_  
_

"Of course. It rains the first day we are home." The redhead's voice was full of disgust. Like her companions, she was in Chinese dress, although unlike the two other girls, hers was distinctly masculine - an over-sized man's shirt and pants that were clearly too big, both pelted at the waist.

"Auntie said if you complained any more I was to give you something to complain about." The second girl's tone was sympathetic, if her words were not. Like the redhead, her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she spoke in Mandarin – a great deal more fluently than her companion, if still with a strong Japanese accent.

"I wish you two would speak Japanese, now we're here. How am I ever going to learn if you don't?" A third girl joined the conversation, and the second girl smiled at her as she replied, in slow and clear Japanese, "Sorry, Shampoo. But you've already learned so much! Soon your Japanese will be better than Ranma's Chinese."

Shampoo concentrated as she replied. "Hope so. I not want to sound like – idiot when speak."

"Hey!" Ranma interjected indignantly as the two girls giggled. "Why do you two always have to gang up on me? Just because I'm the only guy-" which just made Shampoo giggle harder, given Ranma's current condition. She was laughing so hard she forgot to watch where she was going and staggered right into a tall girl on the footpath. Akane steadied her, while Ranma put an arm out to stop the girl from tripping.

"So sorry!" Shampoo said, worriedly, "I hope you not hurt." At home, such an obvious display of lack of awareness of her surroundings would have meant an extra night on guard duty as punishment, not to mention a well-deserved challenge from whoever she had bumped into. And this girl, judging by her stance and her build, was clearly a fighter. But the girl merely smiled at her and said she was unhurt before continuing on her way. Shampoo frowned. Great-Grandmother had warned her things were going to be very different outside the village. Was this what the Elder had meant?

"You alright, Shampoo?" Shampoo nodded in answer to Ranma's question. "Well, I suppose we had better keep moving then," Ranma continued. "D'you think Kasumi is making lunch?"

"I hope so," Akane replied hungrily. To Shampoo, she explained, "Kasumi is by far the best cook in my family."

"Not that it's harder to be a better cook than Akane," Ranma interjected. Akane stuck her tongue out at Ranma, but otherwise ignored him.

"Come on," she said. "We're almost there. We're almost home!" Akane picked up speed and Ranma and Shampoo were forced to follow. Shampoo was not surprised – Akane had been talking about how pleased she was to be going home for weeks now. Shampoo herself was looking forward to meeting her sisters – an only child herself, Shampoo took great pleasure in the family life of others. Ranma, on the other hand, was hanging back as much as she could. Shampoo didn't understand her reluctance. Ranma hated being a girl, but being female was so much better than being male! And it wasn't like Ranma couldn't change back as soon as they got some hot water.

Finally, they reached a large house, and Akane stopped outside. "This is it," she announced happily. Then, "Do you think I should knock?"

"Nah," replied Ranma. "Let's just go in, like always." Akane nodded, and opened the front door, Shampoo following and Ranma bringing up the rear. They hadn't taken but a few steps when an older girl stuck her head through a doorway and smiled.

"Kasumi!" Akane said happily. This must be Akane's eldest sister, then. Shampoo sniffed. Unfamiliar but delicious smells trailed after the tall, brown-haired girl as she embraced Akane.

"Oh Akane. You're all grown up, now," Kasumi said sadly. Akane laughed.

"So are you, Kasumi! And a lot more than me, too. Where are Nabiki and Daddy?"

"Nabiki is up in her room, but Daddy is still out-" Kasumi trailed off as Akane rushed past her a hammered up the stairs. Still smiling, she turned to Shampoo and said, "You must be Akane and Ranma's friend from China. You and Ranma should come through to the dining room. Lunch will be ready in a- oh, I'm so sorry! I thought you were Ranma," as she turned her gaze from Shampoo to the girl standing behind her.

"Actually," sighed Ranma, "I am."

Kasumi refused to let Ranma explain until Soun returned home, and by that stage lunch was ready and the story had to wait even longer. Soun and Nabiki had asked few questions – not surprising, really, since Kasumi had lain down the law – but Ranma was uncomfortably aware of the glances they kept sneaking at him throughout the meal. Finally, she put down her chopsticks with a sigh.

"All right," she said. "I'll tell you everything." With a nod from Kasumi, Nabiki and Soun also stopped eating and leaned forward with interest. "Akane told you we were training at Shampoo's village, right? Well, every year there's a big tournament, where everyone but the Elders competes. I won, of course, and Shampoo and Akane came second and third. There was a big feast after, and dancing – Shampoo says usually it can go on for days. But not long after it had gotten dark, Elder Cologne came to speak to us…"

_Elder Cologne's eyes were bright in the firelight. "Someone, during our celebrations, snuck into the Elders' Council House and stole some very important artifacts. Whoever did it must have been highly skilled, to hide their presence from the Elders who kept watch._

" _You three have proven to be the most skilled fighters of your generation. Will you now track the thief to his hideout, and retrieve the artifacts?"_

" _We will," Ranma replied immediately, and he spoke for all three._

_The thief may have been skilled at hiding his presence, but he had forgotten to hide his footprints. Even by torchlight they were easy to follow, out of the village and up a long rise, until they reached a flat ground where Shampoo gave a gasp. "We're at Jusenkyo!" she whispered. Elder Conditioner, who had taught them how to hunt, had often emphasized the need for quiet. Akane breathed in sharply, but Ranma was curious. They had been warned away from the cursed training grounds, but that only made them more interesting in Ranma's opinion._

" _We slow down," Ranma murmured. "Do not want to change into duck."_

_The pace slowed down accordingly, but stopped, moments later, as the trail they'd been following stopped short-_

"What do you mean, you didn't want to change into a duck?" Nabiki interrupted.

"Exactly what I said," Ranma replied. "That's what Jusenkyo does, you see. If something drowns in one of the pools there, whoever next climbs into the pool turns into whatever drowned. One of the pools is the Yazunīchuan – the Spring of Drowned Duck."

"So you fell into the String of Drowned Girl?" Nabiki asked thoughtfully. "Can you not reverse the process? Or are you stuck as a girl forever?"

"I'm not stuck as a girl!" Ranma quickly replied. "Cold water changes me into a girl – hot water turns me normal again. And there is a permanent cure but – we can't get a hold of it at the moment." He sighed again, feeling truly depressed. It was bad enough being an honorary girl while living with the Amazons. Spending half his time as an _actual_ girl was the kind of thing he used to have nightmares about. Someone reached over and squeezed his hand – Akane. She pulled a face at him, her normal method of trying to cheer him up. He gave her a small smile in return. Not even Acchan knew his deepest, secret fears – that they'd never find the cure, or, worse, that something would happen to force him to be stuck permanently as a girl.

"Well! Your problem is not so bad!" Soun laughed. He grabbed the kettle up off the table and pulled the top off it.

"Hot water! Not boiling!" Ranma snapped as she dodged Soun's throw. She glared at him. "And what do you mean, 'not that bad'? Do you have any idea what it's like to suddenly have – have no control over what your body is doing? To have guys _looking_ at you?" Soun's face looked shocked, and Ranma immediately felt ashamed of himself. He usually had no problems mastering his temper – he'd certainly never lost it at Soun before, who was as well-intentioned and as generous as Akane. "I'm sorry," he muttered. He hated apologizing, too.

Soun shook his head. "No need, Ranma. I should have realized - well. If the water doesn't need to be boiling, why don't you use the furo?" To the others, he said, "I have to go take my afternoon class now. At dinner, you can tell us more about your adventures in China." He thanked Kasumi for the meal and left the room.

Nabiki started stacking plates. "Daddy's right, Ranma. You go up and- and change. We should show Shampoo around a little when you're finished."

The transformation was instantaneous, but Ranma stayed in the furo a little longer, letting himself relax completely. He was glad to be back here, even without a cure – the Tendo's place felt more like home than his mother's house ever did. They'd stayed here a lot, over the years, between training trips. Nodoka had taken a motherly interest in all three girls, and it was always something to look forward to, when he'd been a kid and had gotten lonely out on the road – getting to come here and show Acchan what he'd learned. When he'd gotten older and Akane had started to join him and his mother on their trips, he'd treated the Tendo's as home base as a matter of course.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone banging on the door. "Ranchan, have you drowned in there?"

Ranma grinned as he replied, "I was _trying_ to have some peace and quiet, away from certain horrible, noisy, squabbling _girls_. I'll be out in a sec."

"If you're just going to say mean things about me I'd rather you just drowned," Akane called back. "I think my sisters are anxious to make sure you're really still you, though. We're waiting for you in the lounge, OK?"

"Sure," Ranma called back. He got out of the furo, quickly dried himself off and pulled on his well-worn red, Chinese-style shirt and comfortable black pants. Finally, he retied his ponytail, thankful to see that his hair was back to its more usual color, and headed for the lounge.

He noticed the relief on Nabiki and Kasumi's faces when they saw him. Kasumi smiled, but Nabiki just said, "Shampoo was telling us about the ceremony they had to make you adopted Amazon warriors. She also said that usually all their top warriors are girls. Did that mean that you were an honorary girl?"

Ranma stiffened. Why did Nabiki have to be so damn sharp? He opened his mouth to reply but Akane got there first. "The Amazons have very strict laws about dealing with men, and with outsiders," she said firmly. "Since Auntie had business with the Elders, they wanted to make things as trouble-free as possible."

"Where _is_ Auntie?" Kasumi asked. "I expected to see her with you."

"She said she'd be here as soon as possible, but she had things to take care of in Juban first," Ranma answered, pleased to get off the subject of gender. 

"That's where the Sailor Senshi are," breathed Kasumi, voice full of awe.

"The Sailor Senshi?" Akane repeated. "Who are the Sailor Senshi?"

"Where _have_ you been?" drawled Nabiki. Akane scowled at her.

Kasumi spoke. "They're champions of love and justice. The Earth's protectors. The only people who can stop the world being completely obliterated. Their real identities are secret, but they always turn up when someone's in trouble."

"They're a group of girls who fight monster," Nabiki supplemented.

"A group of girls who fight monsters?" Ranma replied. "Why only girls? I know I haven't been in Japan for two years, but there can't be _no_ other decent male martial artists around!"

"Group of girl fighters sound good to Shampoo," the Amazon murmured to Akane, who ducked her head to hide her smile.

"They're not martial artists," Kasumi explained. "They use magic to fight."

"Oh, magic," Ranma scoffed. "That's cheating."

"But they do good things," Kasumi insisted. "They're supposed to protect the Earth from attack. Imagine how many martial artists it would take to do the same job."

"Only a few, if they were any good at it," Ranma replied – but he mumbled it. Kasumi clearly admired these Sailor girls, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Well, as long as no monsters attack while Auntie is there," Akane said peaceably, "We don't need to worry about it. If they're based in Juban, there's no reason why we would ever see them."

The others assented, and Kasumi changed the subject by asking Shampoo about Amazon cookery. Ranma relaxed again, and put any further thoughts on monster-fighting schoolgirls out of his head completely.

 

* * *

_  
_

_How long had it been dreaming, before the emptiness in its stomach woke it? Did it even matter? No, what mattered was that it was awake, now, and hungry. And there was no food within easy reach. It could feel life out there, somewhere, but so far from its grasp that the chance of finding it seemed impossible. It struggled with this problem, trying to think despite the growing hunger in its belly, until finally it realized its mistake. Of course it was impossible for its_ whole _being to reach the far-off surface which teemed with life, but if it just sent_ part _of itself, if it bent all its energies on getting that part to the surface and feeding it, then it could assuage its hunger as it tried to work out how to get out of its cage._

_It set to work._


	2. Furinkan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akane is nervous about returning to school, while Shampoo starts to understand that life in Japan will be different to what she's used to.

"I've only been back two days! I'm still jet-lagged! I couldn't possibly go to school!"

Akane had been complaining non-stop to Kasumi for the past twenty minutes now, but Kasumi was holding steady. "You're not just sitting at home watching television all day," she told Akane sternly. Akane tried to protest that actually, she hadn't watched TV for two years and had no intention of doing so now, but Kasumi serenely ignored her and turned to Ranma.

"I'm sure Auntie would like you to go to school, for as long as you're here," she said pleasantly. Akane glared at her sister as Ranma's eyes widened and he hurriedly nodded his head. Well, she had lost an ally; luckily, she had a back-up plan.

"I should stay with Shampoo. You know, in case she gets lonely. She's never been away from home before, and she doesn't know you very well yet," Akane started. It was, she felt, a very good excuse. Unfortunately, there was something she hadn't counted on.

"I look good Japanese in uniform, yes?" Shampoo bounded into the room wearing Furinkan High's white blouse and light-blue pinafore, her purple hair tied over one shoulder in imitation of Kasumi's. Akane groaned in defeat.

"I suppose you have one for me too, Kasumi?"

"As long as she doesn't have one for me," Ranma muttered.

"Yes, little sister. I made up uniforms for you and Shampoo from my old set last night. And no, Ranma, I'm afraid I don't have anything for you." Kasumi's features settled into a slight frown. "I suppose if you gave me some spare clothing I could quickly run you up something, but-"

"That really won't be necessary!" Ranma said quickly. "You should take a break today, Kasumi, you've been working so hard since we got back!" Akane grinned, her complaints momentarily forgotten. She'd forgotten Ranma's extreme reluctance to wear uniforms. He'd never managed to explain to her what it was about them that made him just so uncomfortable, but not even Auntie had ever convinced him to put one on.

Nabiki poked her head into the dining room. "I'm off," she said merrily. Then, "Akane, shouldn't you put on your uniform?" Akane glared at her sister's retreating back before stomping upstairs to the guest room where she and Shampoo were currently sleeping. Sure enough, Kasumi had thoughtfully made her bed and laid out her school uniform while Akane and Ranma in the dojo for their morning spar.

Grumpily, Akane took off her accustomed cheongsam and pulled on the school uniform. She glanced in the mirror. It fitted her just fine – not that she'd expect anything else of clothes from Kasumi – but something was still odd about the reflection. She grabbed her hairbrush and pulled out her ponytail, brushing her hair until it gleamed. As she finished, there was a knock at the door. Akane wrenched it open to see Ranchan on the other side. He stared at her, a look on his face that Akane didn't recognize.

"Oh, god. I look stupid, don't I?" Akane cringed. She reached for her hair ribbon to tie her hair back up. If even Ranchan was pulling faces at her, her old school friends would probably die laughing.

"No! Don't! You just surprised me, you look so – I mean, your hair's gotten so long."

Akane paused, unconvinced. "You don't think the other girls will laugh at me?"

"No!" This time Ranma was more vehement. "Is that why you don't want to go to school?"

Akane cringed again. "I've been gone for so long," she explained. "Everything will be so different. _I'm_ so different. And you don't know what girls are like, Ranchan! They won't _say_ anything but they'll be _thinking_ it, really loudly." She stopped. Ranma was staring at her like she'd grown another head. "I suppose you think I'm being stupid, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ranma replied bluntly, "I do. It'll be fine, Acchan. And Sayuri and Yuka would have to have changed a _lot_ to start acting like that. Didn't they write you while we were in China?"

"Well, yes," Akane admitted reluctantly.

"Then I don't see what you're worrying about. And we better hurry. I don't want to be late."

The two friends rushed back downstairs to where Shampoo was patiently waiting. "Kasumi made lunch," she said happily, holding up three bags. Ranma took two, offering one to Akane, then headed out on to the street.

"I hope you remember how to get there," he told her, "cos I sure don't." Akane nodded in reply, and Ranma gently grasped her arm. "Look, Acchan," he said quietly. "You don't have anything to worry about. I promise."

Akane smiled. "It's this way," she said, and started walking. She tried to convince herself Ranma was right. After all, Yuka and Sayuri _had_ written to her, often, and two years wasn't that long, really, and- her train of thought was interrupted by a splash and a yelp.

"I think Ranma has something to worry about, yes?" Shampoo asked cheerfully. "Is somewhere here place to get hot water?"

Akane glanced around, and swallowed. "Just a little further down the road, I think," she said. She caught the now sopping-wet Ranma's eye and glanced away again. He had clearly also noticed what part of the neighborhood they were in, and exactly who it was that Akane was planning to get some hot water from. In all the years the two of them had been friends, there were only two subjects that they had never discussed – and one of them was Akane's crush on Dr Tofu. Akane didn't know why she felt reluctant to say anything, or why the normally blunt Ranma had never said anything to her – just that it felt too awkward to talk about. But Ranchan was going to need hot water if they weren't going to be late to school, and Dr Tofu was kind, and understanding, and very likely to help.

She was disappointed to find that Dr Tofu wasn't in yet. Luckily, Mrs Imamura, who cleaned for him, remembered her, and was happy to give her the kettle of hot water she asked for. Akane thanked her and promised to return it in a moment, and was heading outside to her waiting friends when she heard a feminine shriek. She quickened her pace, careful not to spill any of the water, and came to an abrupt halt when she arrived at the obvious source of the screaming.

Ranma was leaning against the fence, grinning, while a pale Shampoo was clutching the neckline of her school blouse and breathing quickly. Next to her, a tall, dark-haired man was introducing a skeleton. "Dr Tofu," Akane smiled, passing the kettle to a grateful Ranma. She bowed, respectfully. Dr Tofu had been treating her family for as long as she could remember.

"Akane!" Dr Tofu said pleasantly. "K-kas- I was told that you were back home. And off to school already?"

"Yes, Doctor. Kasumi said there was no point wasting time. It's good to see you again," she added.

"Speaking of wasting time, we're trying not to be late to school," a now-male Ranma interrupted pointedly.

"I not want to make bad impression first time," Shampoo agreed. She bowed to Dr Tofu in the Japanese style, and tugged gently on Akane's arm.

Akane said goodbye to the doctor and guided the others back in the direction of the High School – jogging, now, since they had lost so much time. She suddenly felt confused – she had been pleased to see Dr Tofu, sure, but something seemed different. She remembered him being so much taller; and for some reason, she didn't feel bothered at all that he had mentioned Kasumi.

"Doctor is warrior, no? I not sense him before attacked by bone-person." Akane opened her mouth to reply, but Ranma got there before her.

"He doesn't really fight – like Elder Cologne said, you can't be a healer _and_ a warrior. But he has a perfect Soul of Ice. And he probably knows almost as many pressure points than Elder Cologne, too. I guess that comes with being a doctor."

"But why he carry bone-person? I think ancestors come back to teach my lesson."

That made Akane smile. There was an Amazon legend about an outsider who had stolen a treasure from Joketsuzoku. The treasure gave him fighting skills far beyond any of the Amazons, and he proved impervious to seduction. Finally, the Amazons had deceived him into believing they were the ghosts of his ancestors, there to teach him an important lesson, and had tricked him into giving up his treasure. The legend went that they had indeed taught him an important lesson – don't mess with the Amazons.

"We're here," Akane announced, leaving Shampoo's question unanswered. "I wonder where our class is? Kasumi didn't say."

"I don't remember so many of your classmates taking kendo, Acchan," Ranma said. Akane followed his gaze to where a large group of boys wearing kendo gear were milling around.

"Furinkan's always had a reputation for good martial artists," Akane reminded him. "They probably took it up after we left." Which was odd, she had to admit. None of them had shown the slightest interest in fighting when she was younger.

"Not real fighters. Cannot even hold sword properly." Shampoo's voice was scornful.

"I guess you're right," Akane conceded, after another look.

"I'll say!" Ranma put in. "Look at those two!" motioning towards two of the boys who had drawn practice swords and seemed to be preparing to fight. "What kind of a stance do you call that? I could've knocked them over when I was ten!"

"Truly, they are a boorish lot," said a voice. Akane spun around to see another student dressed in kendo garb. "They each wish to take my place, and thus the hand of the fair Nabiki."

"Nabiki?" Ranma asked. "I didn't know she had a boyfriend."

The tall kendoist frowned. "You speak familiarly of the fair maiden." He put his hand on his sword. "Explain yourself! Who are you, and what do you know of the beauteous flower?"

"I'm-" Ranma started to say, but the boy interrupted him.

"Ah! But it is the custom to give one's own name first! Fine then! Mine I shall give!"

"Is normal Japanese custom?" Akane glanced at Shampoo and shook her head emphatically, while the stranger continued, "My name is Upperclassman Kuno, Captain of the Furinkan Kendo Club. Undefeated Champion of the High School Fencing world. My peers call me… _The Blue Thunder_."

"Is normal in Japan for thunder during introductions?" Shampoo sounded fascinated.

"No, Shampoo," Akane sighed. She placed a restraining hand on Ranma and bowed to Upperclassman Kuno. "I am Akane Tendo, heir of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Shampoo, Champion Warrior of the Chinese Amazons, and Ranma Saotome, head of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, are both guests in the Tendo household." She straightened, waiting for Nabiki's apparent boyfriend to respond. He was still glaring at Ranma, for some reason.

" _Under the same roof as Nabiki?_ " He suddenly – and for no real reason Akane could see – unsheathed his sword and, in one fluid motion, struck out at Ranma. Akane dodged away, as Ranma back-flipped out of the kendoist's range.

"Show-off," she murmured, as Ranma righted himself and moved into a defensive stance.

"I accept your challenge," he said, voice level. Akane sighed again and moved away from him.

"Trust Ranma to get into a fight on the first day of school," Shampoo said in Mandarin, throwing a friendly arm around Akane's shoulders. "At any rate, it doesn't look like school will be as boring as I thought."

"Akane!" The two girls looked up to see Nabiki leaning out of a classroom window. "Tell Ranma to watch out – Kuno's _good_. And I think it's going to rain." Akane turned back to Ranma, just in time to see him flip over Kuno's sword and land with his face mere inches from the taller boy's. He glanced at Akane and gave her an imperceptible nod, telling her – she hoped – that he had heard Nabiki's message.

"Let me make this perfectly clear, Upperclassman," he said, his voice still level. "The Tendos are like family to me. Nabiki is like an older sister. I am not here to take your place."

"You lie!" Kuno accused. Ranma jumped, lightning-quick, as he struck out with his sword again. Feet still in the air, Ranma punched Kuno on the forehead, the force causing the other boy to stumble backwards and fall down with a thump.

"C'mon," he said, and started heading towards the nearest building. Akane and Shampoo followed after, making it inside just as the first drops of rain began to fall. "I guess Nabiki will have to explain things herself," Ranma murmured to the others. "He sure wasn't listening to me."

 

* * *

 

"Nabiki Tendo, my goddess! Tell me, what does this villain Saotome want from you?"

Nabiki put down the book she had been trying to read. For three years she had been trying to convince Kuno that while she enjoyed his money and his status, she was not, in any shape or form, in love with him. At all. Even slightly. On any level.

"What's that on your head?" she asked, by way of response. Kuno's brows furrowed.

"I had thought, for a moment, that Ranma Saotome was good. But he cannot even form proper characters!"

"Actually, I think it's Chinese," Nabiki's classmate Nakama offered, adjusting her glasses. "Actually, I think it's the Chinese for 'moron'," she added, quietly. Nabiki shot her a smile; Kuno ignored her, as he ignored everthing that he didn't want to hear. He did, luckily, take a seat as their teacher entered the classroom.

"But who is this knave? You must tell me, so I can protect you from his lechery-"

"Kuno!" snapped the teacher. "Must I send you outside for being a disturbance? Again?"

Nabiki leaned over to Kuno's desk. "The Saotomes are old family friends," she whispered hurriedly, one eye on the teacher. "Before Ranma was born, his father and mine decided that two of us should marry, and his mother and my father have decided to engage-"

"You're engaged?" Kuno cried, leaping to his feet.

"Kuno! Go stand in the hall!" ordered the teacher. Kuno glared at him for a moment, before remembering himself and hurrying out the classroom.

"-Ranma and my little sister," Nabiki finished, belatedly, burying her head in her hands. She should have known better than to mention anything along the lines of _marriage_. Kuno wasn't so much quick to jump to conclusions as he was permanently stationed at them.

 

* * *

 

Shampoo was bored already. It wasn't just that the Japanese was a little difficult to follow – well, alright, it was a _lot_ difficult to follow – but Japanese history was _boring_. Who cared which Prime Minister said what when why and at whom? Clearly, what Japan really needed was a good female Prime Minister to sort everything out and institute some _interesting_ lessons at school.

At least everyone else in the class looked as bored as she did. Ranma had once told Shampoo that the only way he managed to stay awake during Elder Conditioner's many long, dry lectures was to learn how to fall asleep with his eyes wide open and his head straight. It looked as though he was employing that technique now. Akane, on the other hand, was wide awake, passing notes between the two girls sitting on either side of her. She looked a lot more relaxed than she had on the way to school that morning.

Shampoo's attention snapped back to the teacher when the teacher suddenly, abruptly, stopped mid-sentence, staring at the door. Shampoo's gaze followed her and saw, to her surprise, the crazy boy from Ranma's earlier fight. A small part of her was impressed. There weren't many people who, despite being forcibly beaten, were prepared to go a second round.

"Ranma Saotome!" He cried. "I challenge you for the hand of Nabiki Tendo! And your defeat at my hand will be a pleasure!"

Ranma was still staring straight ahead, mouth slightly open in a snore. Shampoo leaned over and poked him, bringing him back to instant consciousness. "-sorrysenseiIseemtohavelostmyplace!" Ranma said, before noticing Kuno standing in the door way, kendo gear back on, sword drawn in challenge.

"Art thou a coward, Saotome?" roared the crazy boy.

"What? No one calls Ranma Saotome a coward!" Ranma responded, now completely awake. "C'mon, we can't fight here – outside!" In one fluid motion, he vaulted over the crazy boy's head, and into the hall. The crazy boy followed him – as did the rest of Shampoo's class.

"Why crazy boy think Ranma want Nabiki? Ranma already have Akane!" Shampoo directed her remark at the girl next to her, one of the girls Akane had been passing notes to earlier. The girl shook her head. "Kuno's a law to himself. He used to go to a private school until he fell for Nabiki and transferred here-"

"They've jumped out the window!" someone gasped. Shampoo took this as her cue and shouldered her way to the front of the mob – which seemed to now encompass more than just her own class. Akane had clearly had the same idea – the two girls arrived at the window at the same time, preparing to follow the boys if needed. They both paused, looking out, considering.

"Ranma need learn to look, then leap?" she suggested. Akane rolled her eyes, but her voice was fond as she called Ranma ten kinds of an idiot and announced she was going to go find a kettle. "Nabiki have strange taste in men," Shampoo murmured, as she turned back outside, in time to see the crazy boy float to the surface of the pool.

"Nabiki does not have strange taste in men. Kuno has a thick head and won't take 'no' for answer," said a low voice next to her ear. Nabiki had arrived. Shampoo frowned, as she realized what was going on.

"Crazy boy claim Nabiki without any right?" she asked, abruptly. Nabiki looked a little confused, but she nodded.

Shampoo jumped out the window.

 

* * *

 

"Ranma should have left crazy boy to drown." Akane didn't think she had ever heard Shampoo's voice sound so cold.

She had found Ranma up a tree, squeezing water out of her pants and muttering about perverts. She'd gratefully accepted Akane's offered hot water, and taken herself off to change away from any prying eyes, although Akane had made him promise that he wouldn't take the opportunity to skive off school. Then she'd heard voices and, curious, headed back towards the pool. There, she had found Shampoo, soaking wet and furious, and the boy Kuno, also dripping, and in a state of severe confusion.

"I do not know what I have done to incur your wrath, fair maid, but you wouldst move aside and allow me to pursue Saotome I shall-"

"Excuse me, Upperclassman," Akane broke in. "But you seem to have misunderstood me earlier. Ranma has no interest in Nabiki, surprising as that may be." At least, she assumed he hadn't; he'd never said anything if he was. Nabiki was good-looking, to be sure and… she stopped that line of thought quickly. "I am Nabiki's younger sister, and I am engaged to Ranma, an engagement meant to bring together the Saotome and Tendo schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts. As Nabiki is not a practitioner of either, her involvement would be useless. And what's got your panties in a twist?" This last comment she directed to Shampoo, slipping into Mandarin.

Shampoo's eyes were glinting with anger as she looked at the tall kendoist. "He has no right to claim your sister as his property," she told Akane in her native tongue. "You are my sister-in-arms. What would Great-Grandmother say if she knew I was letting my shield-sister's own blood-kin be disrespected by a man?"

"What do you mean, disrespected?" Akane asked, suddenly anxious. Shampoo took Amazon Law very seriously; and Amazon Law was very serious when it came to deal with disrespectful men.

"Yet Saotome did run away – the coward clearly feared my prowess. You need not lie to excuse him. He is no man!" Akane stared at Kuno, wondering what her sister saw in such a massive lump of idiocy. He was handsome enough, she supposed. Maybe that's all Nabiki needed.

"Ranma not coward. Ranma busy. I take Ranma's place."

"Nabiki will be mad if you kill him," Akane said, wondering how she could convince Shampoo not to.

"Shampoo not have any plans to _kill_ crazy boy," Shampoo reassured her, in a tone of voice that wasn't any kind of reassuring.

"A fight?" Kuno's voice was rich with amusement. "Very well. And if you win, I shall allow you to go out with me."

Shampoo smiled, a smile which made her look downright unpleasant. "Crazy boy have it wrong if you –" she ducked Kuno's blade, "-beat Shampoo-" she brought her leg around Kuno's knees, sweeping his legs from under him, "-then you allowed-" she grabbed his feat as he fell, "- to date Shampoo!" And using the momentum as he fell, she threw him into the wall of the classroom beside the pool.

"Is time to go home now, yes?" Shampo asked, turning to Akane. Akane shook her head.

"Not even close," she sighed. "Come on, we should get back to class."

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, but Shampoo spent the rest of the classes mulling over something in her mind. Finally, on the way home from school, she said to Ranma and Akane, "I'm going to have to apologize to Nabiki."

"Why?" asked Ranma. He'd spent the rest of the day with a couple of boys in his class that he knew; obviously he hadn't heard.

"I challenged the crazy boy over his disrespect to her, but I didn't ask her permission first. I know she's not a warrior, but I still should have asked her first."

Ranma shrugged. "Daisuke and Hiroshi say, Kuno just crazy. Think all girls want him. Not understand most girls think him-" he paused, trying to decide on the right word.

"A creep?" Akane offered. "Yuka and Sayuri say the same thing. Nabiki likes a guy with a bit of cash, and Kuno announced to the school that whoever buys her the best presents and achieves the highest status in the school gets to date her. In his own mind, of course, it's him. And they think he was serious when he was going to allow you to date him." Shampoo shook her head. The crazy boy was of no concern to her. But from what she had seen so far, Nabiki was sharp and intelligent – well worthy of her respect, and that's not how Shampoo had acted.

Nabiki had not arrived home from school when Shampoo and the others got back, and then Shampoo remembered she had offered to show Kasumi how to make several Chinese dishes, which she did while Ranma dragged Akane off, "for practice", he said, although Shampoo suspected it was more to stop her from offering to help cook. In the end, it was not until after dinner that Shampoo knocked on Nabiki's door, and entered to apologize.

"I come to say sorry for fighting crazy boy earlier. Crazy boy disrespect Nabiki, pretend to have a- an understanding. But not excuse for Shampoo to disrespect her, too. Should have asked Nabiki, if allowed to fight for her."

Nabiki's expression was unreadable as she looked at Shampoo. Shampoo waited for her to speak. Finally, the elder girl said, "You shouldn't have done that. Kuno comes from a very rich family. He could make trouble for you if his pride is too hurt."

Shampoo nodded gravely. "Shampoo know, always consequences for actions. But Shampoo Amazon. Could not let that, that _stick-boy_ treat Nabiki like owned." She paused as she tried to find the right words to explain herself. "Nabiki liked being owned?"

Nabiki smiled wryly. "Nabiki most certainly not like being owned. But if Kuno thinks he can buy my affections, who am I to disillusion him?"

Shampoo frowned. "That normal in Japan? Woman marry man with most money? Shampoo thought marriages arraigned by parents."

"I think you mean 'arranged'," Nabiki corrected. "Arranged marriages are traditional, but these days, more people marry for love. Personally, I'm planning on marrying for love _and_ money. Kuno-baby only makes up half that equation." A look of curiosity entered Nabiki's eyes. "How do you do it? At your village?"

Shampoo thought for a minute. She wasn't sure how much she should tell this outsider. But then, as she had said earlier, Nabiki was Akane's sister, which made her very near a villager herself. Eventually, Shampoo said, "In village, is important, strong woman has strong husband, so has strong children. Love nice, but not important for marriage. But love without marriage allowed."

"You mean even if you're married, it's alright to take lovers?" Nabiki asked. She seemed very interested, but Shampoo wasn't sure how much more she should say. For a moment, it felt like a hand was squeezing her heart. If only Great-Grandmother were here!

 

* * *

 

The moon shone brightly outside Nabiki's window. In the half-light, she stared at the ceiling, thinking back to her earlier conversation with Shampoo. Something about the girl fascinated her – behind her stumbling speech and girly good looks was a will of iron. And fists of iron too, probably, judging by her earlier fight with Kuno-baby. But just what was so fascinating about Shampoo was currently eluding her, so Nabiki had, in her usual fashion, set out to find out just what it was.

She had probed Shampoo, as gently as she could, into telling her about her village, her life, even about Ranma's curse (a subject about which Ranma was unsurprisingly reticent) until finally, Shampoo had stopped and asked point-blank, "Why Nabiki so interested?"

Nabiki was debating whether or not to tell the truth, even as she was saying, "That's easy, Shampoo. You're here to learn better Japanese, right? That tells me that your village is thinking that, in the future, they're going to have to be doing business in Japan. So it's a perfect opportunity for me to get a foot in the door. If I get to know you now, I can do business with your people later."

Shampoo had accepted this, and relaxed once more. But now, alone, lying awake in her bed, a small part of Nabiki wished she had told the truth.

 

* * *

_She knelt before her king. Her head was bowed, not in deference to his rank, but to the man who was prepared to put his kingdom before everything else, even before himself, and his family. "You asked to see me, Sire?" It was the standard greeting, no more, no less, but she reveled in it, feeling the same thrill she felt every time she spoke to her king._

" _I did, Captain," the King assented. "I have a task for you which, I think, will bring great honor to both you and the kingdom, although it is not, I think, one which will please you."_

" _I will do whatever you ask of me, Sire," she said. She meant every word; she had sworn to do his bidding while she lived; she had promised herself to stay loyal even to death, and beyond._

" _I know you will, Captain. Stand, please. You look most uncomfortable."_

_She rose, slowly, and lifted her head. He was getting old, her king, and her heart ached to see it. His son, they said, was getting to be a great man, too – perhaps even greater than his father. He would, undoubtedly, make a fine ruler one day. But that thought did not ease the ache. "Sire?" she murmured._

" _Captain, you know that my wife and I – we were unable to have more children after our son. We had hoped to have a daughter, to fulfill our kingdom's ancient promise…" his voice was sad. She longed to go to him, to comfort him. She stayed firmly in her place._

" _Captain, you are the strongest fighter in the royal guard. It is my wish that you, with three others, form an elite guard. On the upcoming royal visit, we will present you to the Queen, as a gift, in lieu of a Terra Princess." He held up a hand, before she could protest. "I know, Captain. It will mean leaving here. It will mean that I am losing my most loyal soldier." He paused – then, his voice low but firm. "This will be the last thing I ask of you, Captain. Please. Think it over."_

" _Sire," she replied, kneeling once more. "I do not need to think it over. I will be proud to serve the Queen as a solider of Earth." She felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. But she had made a promise. To death, and beyond._

"Are you OK, Shampoo?" Shampoo blinked as early morning light flooded her vision. Akane's face loomed near, worried. "You were crying out in your sleep."

Shampoo stretched. "I had the strangest dream," she explained. It was too early to speak Japanese. Strange, that in her dream she had spoken it so well… "Maybe I ate too much Japanese cooking last night." Akane smiled.

"Well, I'm going to go for a run before school starts. Ranma said you two were sparring this morning?"

"Yes, if he wakes up on time. Maybe I'll go make sure he gets up." Akane grinned and agreed, then left the guest room as silently as possible. If Shampoo concentrated, she could just make out the sound of Akane tip-toeing down the stairs. Of the three of them, Akane had always struggled the hardest to move stealthily.

Shampoo turned to the mirror, and was startled to see tear streaks running down both sides of her face. When had she been crying? For a moment, something flickered in her vision. It was not her own face staring back at her – or maybe it was, her face, but older, harder, scarred from battle. "Fealty to death, and beyond," she whispered, trying to remember something not quiet within her reach…

And then it was gone, and she was herself again, young, smooth-skinned, slightly bewildered looking. She shook her head at her folly. Crazy dreams making her think crazy thoughts! If she didn't get a move on she wouldn't have time to fight Ranma, and the next thing she knew she'd be out of shape and shaming her Elders. She scrambled to get dressed and hurried to the room marked 'Akane', where Ranma was currently sleeping.

"If Ranma not up when Shampoo come in, Shampoo coming back with bucket of water," she called, then burst into the room. Laughing at Ranma's sudden panic, she almost managed to miss the echoing whisper in her mind. _To death. And beyond._


	3. Dojo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shampoo deals efficiently with unwanted attention; Akane starts to realize things have changed while she's been gone; and trouble heads for Ranma (as usual).

"Nabiki, why are you walking to school with us?" Akane asked. After the ruckus Ranma and Shampoo had created yesterday she didn't think Nabiki would want to be seen with her ever again, anywhere. "I don't think you've walked to school with me in my _life_ before. When we were kids Kasumi had to walk me to school because you refused to be _seen_ with me." Nabiki looked at her sister a moment, a slight frown on her face; then she appeared to relax.

"I deal in information, little sis," she said, in her most superior tone. "And after yesterday, it's easy to see that the three students most people are going to want to know about are you, you, and you," and she pointed to each of them in turn. Akane rolled her eyes.

"After one little fight? Besides, they're used to Ranma and me. It's not like everyone's going to be just standing there, waiting for us to arrive," she scoffed as they approached the school gates.

"Are you willing to bet on it?" Nabiki asked, and this time it was Akane who paused. Her older sister was a born bookmaker – among other things.

"Nabiki," Akane began warily, "you didn't-"

"Shampoo! We are here to challenge you!"

Ranma said a word that would absolutely earn him a clip from his mother if she heard him say it. Akane didn’t say anything; she felt her mouth drop open, but nothing came out. Facing them was – apparently – the entire male population of the school. Some were dressed in kendo garb and others in what she recognized as the school’s sports uniform. Some of them seemed to have taken their cue from video games, because no martial artist worth their salt word think to make a serious challenge wearing such a flamboyant – no, make that _weird_ – get up.

“This is… Japanese custom?” Shampoo glanced over at Ranma, who shrugged hopelessly.

“Not that I ever heard.”

“Nabiki, do you know what’s going on?” Akane’s question came out more fiercely than she intended, and Nabiki held up her hands in a gesture of innocence in response.

“It _really_ wasn’t me.”

One of the older boys was starting towards Shampoo, a little warily. To someone who didn’t know her, it would probably look like the girl was merely standing, her head tilted to one side a little inquisitively. But to someone who knew her as well as Akane did – the boy was going to be horribly murdered.

“Nabiki?” It was Shampoo that asked.

“Kuno apparently declared that any boy who wants to date you has to defeat you in combat first.”

“You not kill them, Shampoo,” Ranma sounded a little as though he wished he was saying the opposite. “They silly boy. Not warrior.”

“Disarm them and they will run away,” Akane said, taking Ranma’s lead and speaking in Shampoo’s own language. “They are not thinking with their brains.”

“Men,” Shampoo said, disgustedly, and to Akane’s surprise Ranma didn’t try and argue. “I’ll break their silly swords. If they try it again-”

“Break fingers,” Ranma suggested. “Then arms. Maybe learn before you get to necks.”

“What are you saying?” Nabiki asked impatiently. Clearly she’d never bothered to learn any Chinese. Akane glanced at Ranma who nodded, and with a smooth movement they each grabbed one of her sister’s arms and leaped for the nearest wall, pulling Nabiki with them. By the time Nabiki had got her breath back to say, "You could _ask_ before you go dragging me around,” Shampoo already had seven broken wooden bokkens on the ground and two boys were holding their wrists, looking aghast.

"Would you rather get hit by a stray missile?" Akane's voice was sour. It had been easy to forget, having been away so long, just how much Nabiki annoyed her.

"Aren't you going to help her? Isn't that the martial artist's code?" Nabiki’s tones were supercilious.

"If me and Acchan joined in it'd only be to help the other side. Besides, Shampoo needs practice facing multiple opponents." Not much, to Nabiki’s inexperienced eye. Shampoo was, very quickly and efficiently, taking out every single one of her attackers. Nabiki found herself holding her breath as she watched the younger girl. There was something so admirable about the gracefulness, the athleticism, the ruthlessness of Shampoo's style.

“Messy,” was Ranma’s comment. “She’s only facing them one at a time. If they were any good they’d have hit her by now.”

"Isn't that that Kuno guy? Surely he's not having another go!" Akane's question was answered by a crack ringing through the air and Kuno sinking to the ground. Nabiki shook her head and demanded to be let off the wall so she could go make sure her biggest source of financing hadn't been maimed.

He was whole, and sadly conscious. "She is a fiery chieftainess," he announced, his voice muffled by his prone position in the dirt. Nabiki asked if his arm was broken. "'Tis but a scratch," he replied, his voice stoic. "Truly, her desire for me is driving her to madness."

To Akane Nabiki suddenly appeared sad, but resigned, an expression as alien to her face as humility was to Ranma’s. Her sister knelt down beside Kuno and grasped his injured hand, squeezing it ever so slightly and causing him to wince. "I understand. If you both love each other, then I won't stand in your way." Her look didn’t even change as Ranma guffawed loudly from behind her. Or as Kuno stared at her wildly, his mouth opening and shutting like a carp.

Akane was just beginning to wonder if her sister had broken him when the boy spat out "You need not fear being alone! _I will comfort you both!"_

“Damn,” Nabiki said softly, stood abruptly, and headed for the school building. Akane, Ranma, and a barely panting Shampoo followed after her.

“Nabiki is sly,” Shampoo said admiringly. “Some people too smart for sly. Kuno too stupid.”

Akane glanced at Ranma and grinned. “In Anything Goes we’re supposed to be able to use anything as a weapon. I guess that includes stupidity.” 

“We’re supposed to be able to learn from any one too,” he replied, “but I’m sure as hell not going to start calling that moron ‘master’.”

After that surprising start to the day, class was routine and boring. The best part of the day was lunch; Sayuri and Yuka had been a little suspicious of Shampoo the day before, but after that morning’s performance they showered her with questions. Shampoo seemed gratified by their friendliness, and even produced her sousui for a demonstration.

“It’s good that you’ve got a girl to practice with,” Sayuri said to Akane as they returned to their classroom. “I mean, I know you always say that Ranma’s your best friend, but it’s better to have girl friends, isn’t it?”

Is it? Akane wondered as she half-listened to her classmates reading from their English text that afternoon. She was definitely happy to have Shampoo as a friend, and she was glad to be back with Yuka and Sayuri. But Ranma was different – somehow. She wasn’t sure how, she just knew that he was.

At home they passed a quiet evening, Akane attempting to do her homework and Ranma attempting to copy her, Shampoo ignoring the idea of homework entirely and instead using the time to write a letter home. There was still no sign of Auntie. “No, she hasn’t rung,” Kasumi replied when Ranma asked at dinner. “I’m sure she’ll let us know as soon as she has finished her business.”

When the meal was finished, Soun stood and stretched. “One more class to teach this evening,” he explained to Akane. “If the two of you have finished your homework, you might like to join in.”

Ranma swallowed the last of his tea before asking, “An advanced class?”

“Intermediate. But it’s a large group, and I wouldn’t mind another pair of eyes – or two – looking them over.”

Ranma grinned at Akane. “You know you need some teaching experience, Acchan,” he said, reaching over to lightly touch her shoulder – something he often did when he was pleased over her learning a new skill, or picking up a technique. Now, she thought she could still feel his fingertips even after he moved his hand away.

“Wouldn’t I be better helping with a beginner’s class?” Akane asked her father doubtfully.

Soun eyed her thoughtfully. “Better to get used to teaching before you tackle any beginners,” he told her after a moment. “You need to make sure you’ve rid yourself of bad habits before risking passing them on to other people.”

“Amazon Elders say same thing,” Shampoo put in. Despite her doubts, Akane found that she was trying not to smile; Shampoo’s attitude indicated she put more stock in what Elder Cologne thought than a mere Japanese man, even if he was Akane’s father.

“Ranma and Akane will join you at the dojo after they’ve cleaned up, Father. It’s their turn, and there’s time before the class starts.” Kasumi’s tone was decisive, and to Akane’s surprise her father nodded in agreement. She caught Ranma’s eye, and saw that he was just as startled as she was. She didn’t remember Kasumi ever giving orders before. The result of two years with no Auntie around to take charge? Or was it simply because Kasumi was 19 now – an adult, in fact, Akane suddenly realized.

After being told that it would be her turn to do the dishes the next night, Shampoo disappeared upstairs, saying she’d join one of the advanced classes another night. This left Akane and Ranma alone in the kitchen, Akane washing, Ranma drying. “Ranchan? Are you really serious about me learning to teach? Most of Daddy’s pupil’s are our age – or older than us!”

“ _We’re_ the same age, an’ I’ve been teaching you since we first met.” Ranma experimentally flicked a rice bowl into the air and caught it, grinning, flat on his head. “’Course, that was only because you’d never stopped nagging me until I said yes-”

“Liar!” As usual, Ranma’s teasing lifted her mood. “Who was it that nagged whom when Elder Cologne said I should learn Bakusai Tenketsu?”

“Bah,” Ranma spat, in an apt imitation of Shampoo’s great-grandmother, and turned himself up the right way. “It’ll be good for both of us to see how Uncle teaches. I mean, one day we’ll both be teaching classes here.”

“Oh – yes. I mean, of course,” Akane stammered. “I just – hadn’t really thought about it,” she finished lamely. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it, exactly, it was that she hadn’t expected that _Ranma_ had. They both knew – they’d always known, it seemed – that one day they’d be married, but Ranma was so concerned with what was happening now – what technique he was learning, what tournament he was fighting in, what dojo he was visiting – she’d never considered that he might really think about the future.

The dojo was already filling up when Akane and Ranma arrived, having changed into their gis. Soun motioned them to where he stood, and called the class to order. “Today we are joined by my leading pupil, Akane Tendo, and by Ranma Saotome, the sole practitioner of the Saotome School of Anything Goes,” he told the class. “I know I can trust you all to do your best.” This remark may not have been aimed at Akane, but she felt it anyway. She needed not to let her father down, not when he’d just given her such praise.

Ranma was never shy when it came to martial arts. As soon as the warm up routines had been completed and the students were paired up, he dove in, correcting a punch here and a block there. Akane hung back, at first, not sure that she had the ability to demand the respect of her father’s pupil’s. But as she watched, someone caught her eye. A tall girl, with wavy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked a little like Akane’s idea of a Yankee, but she was working as hard as everyone else. She had good posture, and her blows all rang true; but to Akane her blocks always seemed slow. Impulsively, she stepped forward. “Excuse me-”

The girl turned to her, deep green eyes smiling. “Yes, Sensei?”

“Um-” Akane wanted to say that ‘Akane’ would do, but perhaps that wasn’t the impression she wanted to give. “What’s your name, please?”

“I’m Makoto Kino, Sensei. Am I doing something wrong?”

“Your timing is a little off, Makoto. Tell me, how do you know where your opponent is going to hit you?”

Makoto turned to her sparring partner, a sturdy girl with cropped black hair, and frowned. “I… I watch Nakama's fists. Is that right?”

“When you throw a punch, does it start at your fist?”

Makoto considered the question, raising her arms into a defensive stance and jabbing a light right cross. “Tendo-sensei always tells us that you put your whole body behind a blow,” she said slowly. “But I’m standing too close to watch her whole body.”

“All you need to watch is her chest,” Akane told her. “Anyone who knows what they’re doing will start moving from their centre, whether it’s a punch or a kick. And if they don’t know what they’re doing, the move will be sloppy, and you’ll find it even easier to dodge or block it. Start again, doing what I’ve told you.”

Makoto and her partner did so. Now Makoto wasn’t blocking every strike, but when she did connect she was faster, more accurate than before. “Thank you Sensei,” she said earnestly, not taking her eyes of her partner. “I think I understand now.”

After that, the ice had been broken, and Akane felt comfortable walking around, correcting, demonstrating and praising where warranted. Once or twice, she thought she saw her father gazing at her approvingly; Ranma, on the other hand, seemed to be too busy to take any notice of her. One or two of the female pupils seemed to be eyeing _him_ rather than their opponents, which was just the kind of distraction they should be trying to avoid, she thought disapprovingly.

When the lesson finished, several of the students came up and thanked Akane particularly for her help. Pleased, she spoke to each of them and sent them on their way before glancing around for Ranma. Two of the girls she’d noticed watching him earlier were talking to him now. Akane frowned and started towards them, wondering what they had to talk about for so long.

“You were so helpful!” one of the girls was saying as she approached. “Aren’t you going to be taking your own classes, Ranma-sensei? I’m sure I’d improve a lot if I got to see more of you!”

“I’m not really ready to teach yet…” Ranma said. He looked mildly panicked, but when he caught sight of Akane he suddenly smiled. “I don’t expect to start until I’m married.”

“That’s so romantic,” the girl began, but Ranma didn’t seem to notice.

“Good work, Acchan,” he called. “You’re better at this stuff than I am.”

“Acchan?” the girl hissed, and her friend tugged her away. Akane was flooded with a sense of relief.

“You were watching?”

“I always have my eye on you,” Ranma told her solemnly, “otherwise how am I supposed to stay two steps ahead of you?”

Laughing, Akane punched him lightly in the chest, and turned to see what her father had to say about her performance.

 ***

Finishing her letter, Shampoo decided she was bored. Leaving the guest room, she paused by Nabiki’s door – then continued. The loud music blaring told her Nabiki didn’t want to be disturbed just then.

Downstairs, Kasumi was seated at the table in the family room, leafing through a brightly coloured magazine. She glanced up as Shampoo entered, and smiled. “These are the girls I was telling you about,” she said, pushing the magazine towards Shampoo. “The Sailor Senshi, remember?”

“Girls who use magic to protect Earth,” Shampoo replied. She glanced down at the pictures. “These photographs… not clear?”

Kasumi smiled again. “I don’t think they like to hang around and get their pictures taken when they’re done. Don’t you think it’s nice, that they’re not doing it to be famous?”

“Perhaps just like to fight. Like Ranma,” Shampoo added dryly. Kasumi laughed.

“Maybe. Some people think they are the chosen warriors of the old Roman gods – but one of them is named Sailor Moon, so that doesn’t work. I think they might just be named after planets – although there’s no Sailor Earth, for some reason. And since they’ve never been interviewed, no one’s ever been able to ask them. They’re so mysterious!”

Shampoo looked at Akane’s eldest sister. She knew, from what Akane had told her, that she had never been interested in fighting; that she was by no means stupid, but had never shown any desire to continue her education after high school. She wondered what Kasumi did want to do. Surely she couldn’t want to spend her life cooking and doing housework? “Kasumi like – you like mysteries?” she asked. Kasumi’s eyes sparkled.

“I like that they’re a mystery that no one can solve,” she said. “Life should have mysteries in it, don’t you think?”

“I do not like mysteries,” Shampoo admitted. “Surprises… like attacks. Better be prepared?”

“Perhaps. But for me… since Akane and Ranma left, life has been very ordinary. Now that they’re back I think it’s going to be full of surprises again.”

“They both full of surprises,” Shampoo agreed, and then, in a flash, remembered her dream from the night before. And me, she silently added, feeling troubled. I think I might be full of surprises too. But not wanting to share her thoughts with Kasumi, she turned the conversation back to the mage girls.

 *** 

“Mako!” Makoto, exiting Juban station, glanced around and smiled as her eyes caught sight of one of her best friends.

“Minako!” She stood and waited as her friend, as energetic as ever, ran to catch her up, long blonde hair streaming behind her. “Where have you been?”

“The captain of the gymnastics team wanted to see how good I was,” Minako explained, “So I stayed after school to show him. He was very complimentary.” Her eyes sparkled. “There’s a big tournament coming up, and some of the team have been injured, and apparently I was the first person he thought of when the coach said to find some more talent! _And_ he wants to see me again tomorrow,” she finished, voice full of satisfaction. She glanced at Makoto. “You’re looking happy. Was _he_ there?”

“No such luck,” Makoto sighed. She’d been at the Tendo Dojo for a year now, and never caught sight of the mysterious boy who’d first mentioned it to her. “It was a good class, though! Sensei’s daughter and her fiancé were helping him take it, and I learned a lot.” She flexed her right arm and grinned. What she didn’t say, although Minako probably suspected, was that her confidence in her abilities had been shaken by being so easily defeated by Sailor Uranus, and that she was determined, if they ever came to fight again, that she’d at least be able to hold her own.

“That’s so cool, Mako,” Minako enthused. “What were they like?”

“The other sensei?” Mako thought for a moment. “Older than us, although not much-”

“And they’re _engaged_?”

Makoto shrugged. “Well, that’s what Nakama told me after class, and she goes to school with them, so she would know. Apparently they’ve been in China for two years, training! I bet they’re very well suited. She’s cute, and he’s handsome, and they spend all their spare time sparring.” She sighed again, knowing that there were few guys interested in spending all their spare time sparring with a girl like her. Minako threw an arm companionably around her shoulders.

“Let’s go to the game center,” she suggested. “They’ve just got a new Sailor V game in.”

Even as she spoke, both of the girls felt their communicators buzz. Makoto glanced around to make sure no one was paying any attention to them, then flipped open her watch. Rei’s face appeared, stern but worried.

“What’s wrong?” Makoto cried.

“Nothing, I hope,” her friend replied. “But Luna wants us all to meet at Usagi’s house.”

“We’re on our way!” Minako chirped, and she and Makoto picked up their pace.

“A daimon attack?” Makoto asked anxiously as they walked.

“More likely to be Usagi failing her Chemistry test,” Minako cracked in reply.

“The pot calling the kettle black,” came a male voice from their feet. Minako reddened and began scolding Artemis for sneaking up on them, but Makoto bent over to pick him up. “There haven’t been any attacks,” he said, “yet.”

Makoto and Minako exchanged looks and picked up speed again.

*** 

Night fell on the forest. It was usually empty of people, but here, in this clearing, was a small tent, a small fire burning, and a young man, sitting on a tree stump, staring at the flames. His fists were clenched, his jaw was set, and his scowl might have scared off any wild animals stupid enough to approach him.

After some time, his lips twitched, and formed silent words. “Ranma Saotome…” he whispered. Then he stood up, and his whisper became a shout. “Ranma Saotome! You _will_ pay for what you’ve done!”

His voice echoed through the forest, but there was no one there to hear it.


End file.
